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Chartering in Sweden and Denmark: what paperwork do the bases want?
Short answer
Sweden and Denmark ask little of leisure skippers by law for many boats.
Charter bases still want a sea certificate such as the ICC and a radio licence in most cases,
so get in writing what they accept before you book.
Chartering in Sweden and Denmark takes you into two very different waters: the skerries off the Swedish west coast and Stockholm, with granite just below the surface, and the Danish South Funen archipelago, shallow and threaded with narrow buoyed channels. What paperwork the bases want is much the same in both. Registration, safety equipment records and the boat's insurance are arranged by the charter company and stay on board. Your side is the skipper's certificate of competence, a VHF operator's licence and passports or ID for everyone sailing.
Neither country asks much of leisure skippers by law for many boats, and that surprises people coming from Germany or France. It does not mean a base will hand over a 40 foot yacht without a certificate. In most cases they want a sea qualification that suits the boat and the area, often the ICC, an RYA Day Skipper or Yachtmaster, or an equivalent national certificate, and an operator's licence such as the SRC for the VHF. Some bases also ask about your sailing experience. Get written confirmation of what they accept for the boat you are booking rather than relying on a forum thread.
Once you are out there, seamanship matters more than paperwork. In the skerries you often moor bow to the rock with a stern anchor, and you keep the chart going all the time because rocks lie right beside the fairway. In the Danish archipelago the depth drops away fast outside the channels, and the water level moves with the wind. Take passports or ID for everyone aboard, even inside the EU. If you damage someone else's boat or property with the charter yacht you are personally liable, so proof of your own skipper liability insurance belongs in the folder, even though no rule asks for it.
Worth remembering
The base
registration, safety kit and the boat's insurance
You
certificate, VHF licence and ID for the crew
Fewer rules in law does not mean no certificate: the base decides what it accepts.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Do I need a licence to charter in Sweden?
The base decides in practice. Even where the law asks for no certificate on a leisure boat, charter companies normally want a sea qualification such as the ICC or Day Skipper. Ask them in writing which one they accept.
Is the ICC accepted in Sweden and Denmark?
Many bases accept the ICC, as well as RYA certificates and similar national qualifications for sea. The base's answer for the specific boat is what counts, so get it in writing.
How do you moor in the skerries?
Often bow to the rock, with lines to rock pins or rings ashore and a stern anchor out behind. Ask for a demonstration at check-in if it is new to you, and check the depth before you go in.
Related
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